Joel Rosario
 

Smashed the KEE spring meet win record today with a five-win card. He's definitely ridden a number of Ramsey/Maker cinches that he just needed to stay aboard, but he's still schooling the other jocks daily and his confidence is through the roof right now. I'd be shocked if he didn't win the BEL spring riding title with Dominguez still on the shelf.

He is riding at an incredibly high level and made jocks look like fools out there. It sure looked to me like he baited Garcia to make a fool of himself in the 5th. His ride in the stake in the 8th was terrific.

I remember not to long ago when he made the move east a lot of people were saying he wasn't going to excel in that group of top riders. How quickly he has made people recognize how good he is, and he is still getting better. If he wins the KY Derby he would just solidify being the best!

I agree with you. Besides the west has always has had the better riders, so its not like really he was going up in class.

You think there are better riders on the west coast right now than the east?

A pie should have flown out of your computer and slammed you in the face when you hit the submit reply button.

Maybe now with California (TOC) doing a doing a poor job with running horse racing and with the short fields you can argue. But look Rosario went out there and has showed how good he is. Him along with Bejarano are the two top jocks in the country.

An argument could be made Rosario is the best rider in the country, especially with Dominguez being injured. Although he has had the luxury of getting into some barns who seemingly can't lose the first few months of the year. He's a fantastic rider though, no denying it.

There is no way Bejarano is even in the top 5 if you watch racing everyday.

What do short fields or the TOC have to do with jockeys ability?

Just that with a owner/horse shortage the top jocks are most likely going to leave or not come out because of less opportunitys . Does not have anything to do with ability.

In baseball they term someone a 5-Tool player if they excel at basically every facet of the game. IMO Rosario would be a Jockey version of a 5-Tool player. He is equally adapt on Dirt, Turf , All-Weather, Sprints or Routes. He can come from off the pace with exact timing or he can win on the front end nursing his speed. This IMO is very rare as I think jocks have their area of expertise. Leparoux for one IMO is way more effective on Turf coming late. He is a great play against on a favorite needing the lead. Desourmeux of old used to be the same way.

I agree and Bejarano has the same tools, plus they both put their horses in positions to give there horses a shot to win.

I think it is important to remember that Julian Leparoux won every Keeneland meet from 2010-present doing the exact same thing Rosario has done. He's riding the Maker/Ramsey horses.

I actually think it will be interesting to see how he does at Belmont. No doubt he will have a fine meet, because he'll ride good horses and is a great rider.

But, there will be some adjustment when you ride 4-5 horses everyday for a month that can't lose. He won't have that at Belmont.

Nice to see Kevin Krigger doing well in Southern Cal.

It wasn't long ago that he was battling away at Thistle Downs and Emerald Downs...and he vanished for a while.

Don't forget Agapito Delgadillo and Edwin Maldonado. Surely they would be having even more success against no-names like Dominguez, Castellano, Velazquez, Lezcano, Prado, etc.

tee hee :D

rosario, wins the dubai world cup, loses ride on animal kingdom:

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...ngdom-at-ascot

Agree!

Bejarano is good, but not sure he could have done what Joel has done moving east.

Leparoux, JJ, Jr would be the guys I would say have top jockey skills right now. Rick Dominguez would be if healthy. But Joel has proven himself so quickly back east and now is better than he was in Cali and getting better. He will kill it at Belmont.

I had the opportunity to meet Joel at Saratoga 2012....

he is a fine young man and one heck of a rider...

By the way, the other big jockey story in 2013 (as Steve has brought up) is the comeback of Mr. Prado...

I remember getting into an argument with some Gulfstream railbirds back in 2011 who said that Edgar's career was over.

Great to see him back at the top of his game again......

Who is Rick Dominguez?